The Sun Mountain Sports golf blog keeps you informed with everything going on in the world of golf. Find tips and hints that will help you get the most out of the sport. Learn about new product introductions and upgrades to existing golf products we manufacture. From revolutionary golf bags, carts and outerwear for men and women to stories from the various professional tours, we hope you will find our golf blog informative and interesting. We look forward to your comments and suggestions.

While sitting at a table in the clubhouse after a game, Jim remarked to a fellow club member, “I’m not going to play golf with Sam anymore. He cheats.”

“Why do you say that?” asked his friend.

“Well, he found his lost ball two feet from the green”, replied Jim indignantly.

“That’s entirely possible”, commented his friend.

“Not when I had his golf ball in my pocket”, retorted Jim with finality.

_ _ _

Cell Phone Call

There are several men in the locker room of a private club after finishing 18 holes. Suddenly a cell phone that was on one of the benches rings.
A man picks it up and the following conversation ensues:

“Hello?” “Honey, It’s me.”
“Sugar!”
“Are you at the club?”
“Yes.”
“Great! I am at the mall 2 blocks from where you are. I saw a beautiful mink coat… It is absolutely gorgeous!! Can I buy it?”
“What’s the price?”
“Only $1,500”
“Well, OK, go ahead and get it, if you like it that much…”

“Ahhh and I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw a 2014 at a really good price … and since we need to exchange the BMW that we bought last year…”
“What price did he quote you?”
“Only $60,000…”
“OK, but for that price I want it with all the options.”

“Great!, before we hang up, something else…”
“What?”
“It might look like a lot, but I was reconciling your bank account and…I stopped by the real estate agent this morning and I saw the house we had looked at last year … it’s on sale!! Remember? The one with a pool, English Garden, tennis court, acre of park area, beach front property…”
“How much are they asking?”
“Only $1,450,000… a magnificent price, and I see that we have that much in the bank to cover…”
“Well, than go ahead and buy it, but just bid $1,400,000. OK?”

“OK, sweetie… Thanks! I’ll see you later!! I love you!!!”
“Bye… I do too…”
The man hangs up, raises his hand while holding the phone and asks to all those present:
“Does anyone know who this phone belongs to?”

Regarding the performance of the waterproof golf jacket the reviewer said:

“My first round with the Long-Sleeve Pullover was a great test of its versatility. When I teed off, it was sunny and 60+ degrees. By the time the round was over, the sun was gone, the winds were howling, and the temperature had dropped into the 40′s. I was equally comfortable the entire time. When it was warmer, the jacket’s breathability kept me from heating up. As it cooled, the wind resistance kept me warm.”

Beyond breathability and protection from wind and rain, golf jackets (as the name implies) also have to work for golf. On the topic of what we rate as ‘range of motion’ the reviewer said,

“As for how the jacket moved, I’ll say what I always do about the best apparel: I never noticed it. At no time did the jacket bother my swing in any way, nor did it require any adjusting.”

And that, in a nutshell, is our goal with all of our golf jackets – to do its job while going unnoticed.

The Sun Mountain Tour Series includes golf rain pants, too, constructed from the same waterproof, breathable, stretching material as the jacket. About the golf pants, the review said,

“The Tour Series Rain Pants impressed me from the moment I pulled them on. I immediately noticed how light and breathable they were. In my experience, many apparel companies mistake rain pants for arctic expedition wear – they’re heavy, over-insulated, and stuffy. Sun Mountain made these pants to protect from rain and wind in a wide range of temperatures (they claim 40-75 degrees), not just sub-zero temperatures. In addition to being comfortable and mobile, these pants have a cleverly designed cuff that snaps up to shorten them 2.5″. This is the kind of feature that was clearly designed by real golfers who understand what makes great apparel.”

Well, that’s music to our ears because Sun Mountain takes great pride is being a company of golfers who design golf gear for other golfers. Sure, the Tour Series looks good and functions well off the course, but first and foremost, it must perform on the course.

In conclusion the Tour Series golf rain jacket and rain pants review ended with, “I’m really pleased with the Sun Mountain Tour Series and have put it into my regular rotation. It moves well, the waterproofing is excellent, and, most impressive, it keeps me comfortable in a wide range of temperatures and conditions.”

We’d be honored to make it into your regular rotation, as well. To see the full review go to —

American Ex-Pat Experiences the ‘Honesty Box’ and other Scottish Golf Quirks

It was a reasonable request. If only the weather hadn’t been so unreasonable.

Please allow me to explain.

After six weeks camped out in the Scottish Borders, one would have thought that—certainly by now—I’d have ventured onto the Jedburgh Golf Club, just five miles south on the A68 from our self-catering cottage. But when the cottage’s owners asked if I’d familiarized myself with their pride and joy, I had to admit—rather sheepishly—that I hadn’t found the time.

Too much day job, I pleaded (there’s no escaping clients, not even with a buffer zone of 5,000 miles and eight time zones). Too many chores (foraging for food at the local Sainsbury’s, recycling my limited array of clothes through the wash and figuring out how to beam U.S. college football games onto our Scottish TV—not necessarily in that order). And, whenever the opportunity presented itself, too deep a need to return to the linksland (even if it meant driving past landlocked tracks like Jedburgh to get there).

Time flies when you’re on a mission.

But then the couple in question very graciously invited my wife, daughter and I to join them for dinner at their home. Suddenly, I had a deadline. After all, I wasn’t about to show up on their doorstep with only a bottle of cabernet in my possession.

So about six hours before the aforementioned engagement, I traded my laptop for a golf bag (the primary tools of my two trades) and braved the elements that—even to this American’s semi-trained eye—appeared decidedly dodgy. After the brief journey through Jedburgh’s town center and then up a steep hill past its historic jail, I was heartened to find a handful of vehicles in the club’s car park. If the locals were out frolicking about, then no reason why I shouldn’t be, too. Right?

The ‘Honesty!?’ Box

Actual sightings of humans, however, were another matter. The clubhouse was closed for the winter, save for a side door that led to the gents and a rather complicated version of the time-honored Scottish “honesty box,” a means of paying your green fee when no one is around to collect in person.

A sign above the slot offered step-by-step instructions:
Fill in the date, your name and your home club in the ledger book below
Grab a paper bag tag and remove the perforated end piece that contains a number
Check a chart on the wall to determine the fare due (just £10 on this late fall weekday), then write that onto the piece of paper with the number
Write the number next to your name in the ledger
Place the appropriate legal tender, along with the numbered tab, into an envelope
Write your name and number on the outside of the envelope
Drop the envelope into the slot
Attach the balance of the paper tag to your golf bag
Take two Tylenol to beat back the headache generated by all this stress
Proceed to the first tee

Golf gift ideas can be the easiest. Technology is always changing. Products are always improving. There are several golf essentials that need regular replenishment. There’s an endless array of trinkets. What more could a gift-giver want?

We’ve has assembled a Holiday Golf Gift Idea Guide to make it even easier. This gift guide is divided into sections to make it easier to narrow down. In this guide are gift ideas for the traveling golfer, for him, for her, for the hard to shop for, on a budget, and golf stocking stuffers.

A few of her favorite things includes: the new four-wheel MC3 golf push cart, the Sync golf bag that fits so nicely with all of the Sun Mountain push carts, a RainFlex golf rain jacket, the reversible Alpine Vest that looks good on and off course, and the lightweight Three 5 golf stand bag.

With heavy hearts we report that one of the good guys passed away earlier this week. The ever-present smile and positive attitude of long-time Wisconsin sales representative John Houdek, Jr. will be deeply missed by all of us at Sun Mountain.

John (Johnny) Houdek Jr., 56, passed away at Aspirus Wausau Hospital Wednesday, November 19th, 2014 surrounded by his family after a hard fought six year battle with appendiceal cancer.

John Jr. was born August 30, 1958 in Geneva, IL, son of John Sr. and Virginia (Stark) Houdek. He attended Glenbard West in Glen Ellyn, IL where he played on the golf team and graduated from Amherst High School where he was awarded all-conference in baseball. He went on to study business marketing and natural resources at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He was captain of the UWSP golf team, where they went on to be conference champions. For many years, he worked for this father at Houdek Golf Course Design and Construction. Then with the guidance of his uncle Bruce, he entered the golf sales business as a representative for Pro Group an Arnold Palmer Company, worked with Bridgestone and Town Talk, and ended his career as an independent sales rep with Sun Mountain and Sterling Glass.

For those that knew John, he had a charismatic personality, and an ability to bring people together and cultivate deep and lasting friendships. With family and friends, John always enjoyed fine wining and dining. He was a loving son, brother, brother-in-law, and uncle who cared deeply for his family, and took a very active role in each of their lives. He carried on the Houdek legacy of a mischievous sense of humor, and he served a fatherly role for his nieces as well as other children of close friends and family.

As an avid outdoorsman, John enjoyed fishing and hunting in locations everywhere from his backyard right here in Central Wisconsin, to Canada, and Alaska. He was passionate about other sports, including: softball, baseball, and above all golf and football. He was referred to as the “golf guy” in many circles, had a deep-running affiliation with the Wisconsin PGA, and formed relationships with golf professionals all over the country. He even got the rare hole-in-one at North Hills Country Club in Menominee Falls, WI. He was a Packers season ticket holder and attended multiple Super Bowls. John was also a passionate fan of Amherst sports after years of watching his nieces participate in everything from basketball and volleyball to golf and dance.

John is survived by his mother Virginia Houdek of Amherst, WI; aunt Violet Steinke of Sorrento, FL; two sisters Kathleen (Peter) Connolly of Wayne, IL, and Karen (Michael) Glodowski of Amherst, WI; two nieces Jennifer and Kate Glodowski, and nephew Erik (Collette, Logan, Reese) Connolly. He was preceded in death by his father John Houdek Sr.; and his uncles Bruce, Ronald, and Ladd (Earl) Houdek.

A celebration of life for John Jr. will be held at a later date.

The family would like to thank the doctors and nursing staff at Aspirus Wausau Hospital and University of Pittsburg Medical Center for their extraordinary care over the last several years. Additional thanks go out to the local community, Sun Mountain, Sterling Glass, and members of the Wisconsin PGA for their support of John and his family.

For 2015, Sun Mountain is expanding its collection of top-selling C-130 golf cart bags to include three different models: a stand bag, a version with a 7-way divided top, and a 14-way divided top.

The C-130S stand bag is for cart-golfers who like to carry their bag to the practice range and enjoy the convenience of the stand. The C-130 7-way with a seven-way divided top is for those who don’t care for the individual club dividers, and the C-130 14-way is the traditional version of the C-130 for golfers who prefer the individual, club-divided top.

All versions of the C-130 are designed to work optimally on a riding cart. Features in common across all C-130 models include the reverse-orientation top and the three utility handles integrated into the top that offer multiple hand-holds for picking the bag up. Each model also has a cart-strap tunnel which allows the cart strap to pass through the bag and not block access to any of the bag’s pockets or crush any of the pockets’ contents.

One of the hallmarks of the C-130 is pocket space. All models of the C-130 feature nine pockets: two full-length clothing pockets, two velour-lined valuables pockets (including one sized for a rangefinder), a beverage pocket, and several additional pockets for balls and tees and other accessories. C-130 7-way and 14-way also offer an integrated putter well.

Sun Mountain is proud to acknowledge that 2014 marked the seventh consecutive year that the C-130 has been an award winner on Golf Digest magazine’s Hot List. The C-130 14-way received a Gold award.

We often hear tales of miraculous golf shots, masterful rounds, epic golf trips, and the bonds of golfing buddies. We are going to start collecting these stories and accompanying photos on our blog in a section named #SMSadventure.

Tell us about your golf adventure and which Sun Mountain product you used.

– Did you take part in the Hundred Hole Hike and carry a Sun Mountain Three 5?
– Did you fly to Scotland for some links in the motherland and take your Sun Mountain ClubGlider?
– Did you win your club championship with a personal best round while pushing your Sun Mountain Speed Cart?
– Did you play through wind and rain on that once-in-a-lifetime round at Bandon Dunes wearing a Sun Mountain Torrent rain suit?